Miracle Romance
by Alyson Caraway
Summary: What if Usagi found out she was Sailor Moon after she and Mamoru already started dating?
1. Chapter 1

Usagi clung tightly to Mamoru's arm and giggled as they made their way through the Azabu district of Tokyo. "It will be fine, Mamo-chan!" she cooed, peering up at him with a small smile on her lips. "They'll love you."

Mamoru let out a small laugh as he exhaled. "You can't blame me for being nervous. Meeting your parents is a big step… what if they think I'm too old?"

"Well… they already do," she admitted, and chuckled as she saw her boyfriend visibly wince. "But they also know that you've helped me get my grades up. And I've been trying really hard to leave the house on time in the morning, and I haven't had detention for being late or not doing my homework in over two weeks! My mom even asked me what your favorite dish was. She wouldn't ask that if she didn't want to impress _you_ just as much as you want to impress _her_."

It was true. The couple had been dating for a little over three months now, and when Usagi had first gathered up enough courage to tell her parents about her boyfriend, three years older than her and in high school, they did the usual overprotective, objecting parents thing. Though, not long after that, her mother saw him briefly one evening after they walked home together. Suddenly her mother's protests were out the window, and Ikuko was suddenly insisting her daughter bring Mamoru over to the house for dinner and a proper meeting.

"Ah, shoot," Mamoru said with a click of his tongue, looking from his bag, to his pockets, to his free arm in dismay. Usagi lifted her head to look up at him and he sighed. "I forgot my other jacket at home. I need to go home and get it."

Usagi's eyes widened to her sad puppy-dog look and she pouted her bottom lip. Go back to his place? It was a few train stops going in the opposite direction of her house and she just wanted him to come back with her... "You don't need it. Your school uniform is just fine, Mamo-chan."

Mamoru smiled ruefully, and she knew her stubborn boyfriend would be going back to his apartment whether she liked it or not. "It'll make me feel better if I'm dressed up for this. Want to come back with me quick?"

Her shoulders sank as they slowed to a stop and she lifted her cheek from his arm. "I'd love to, but I promised my mom I'd help her with dinner as soon as school let out…"

With a warm smile, Mamoru nodded with understanding. "I won't be long, I promise. Give me an hour. You said your family doesn't eat until seven anyway, right? I'll be there in plenty of time." Usagi felt a searing heat on her cheeks as he leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on her forehead. "See you soon, Usako."

Even after three months of dating, his nickname for her and the way his kisses felt on her skin still reduced her legs to jelly. She could only nod in response before Mamoru separated from her and took off in the opposite direction with a small wave.

Usagi watched him turn a corner before spinning on her heels and continuing home. The new, responsible Usagi had made a promise to her mother to help her with dinner, and as tempting as it was to travel back with Mamoru, she also wanted to impress him with her cooking skills… with her mother's aid, of course.

A few blocks from home she saw a group of kids in a parking lot surrounding something small and black on the ground. She glanced over with only a mild curiosity, but heard whatever they were poking groan. Was what they were torturing… alive?!

"Hey!" she called without any further thought. Half a dozen heads snapped up and looked in her direction, then scattered when they saw her running toward them. "What are you kids doing?!"

They were gone before she could grab any of them to find out the story, but looking at the shallow-breathing black creature laying on the pavement, she figured she knew what happened.

"Poor thing…" she said softly as she took a few hesitant steps closer. The thing was facing away from her and laying on its side, making it difficult to see what it was. A large rat? Eh, it was a little too big for that, but too small to be a dog. A few more careful steps later, she made out the pointed ear of a… cat?

It must have sensed her presence because before Usagi knew it, the cat lifted its head and snapped around, bounding to its feet and looking up at her with almost a startled expression. Usagi let out a small gasp of surprise, covering her mouth with her hand as she gaped at the animal.

"Aw, what a cute little bald spot!" she exclaimed happily, then dropped down to rest on her haunches. "Do you have a bald little moon on your forehead? C'mere, kitty kitty kitty… psssst." She scooted a bit closer to the timid cat, extending her hand out and wiggling her fingers. "It's okay, I won't hurt you."

It was too bad the cat didn't return the sentiment. With a swipe of her front paw, Usagi felt large scratches in her palm open up and begin bleeding.

"GAH!" Usagi cried, hugging her injured hand close to her chest but careful not to get the blood on her white school uniform. Tears welled up in her eyes but when she went to look at the treasonous creature again, it had disappeared. "Or not…" she whimpered, slowly getting to her feet and looking down at her wound. "Stupid cat…"

The scratches were still bleeding by the time Usagi reached her house. "I'm home…" she called in a weak voice, then kicked off her shoes before making a B-line for the bathroom. Her palm burned as she soaped it up and washed the angry gouges.

"Ah, Usagi!" Ikuko said, suddenly appearing in the door and causing the girl to jump as her mother's voice echoed off the tile walls of the bathroom. "What happened? And wasn't Mamoru supposed to come back with you? He's still coming for dinner, right?"

Despite the pain in her hand, her mother's concerned tone made Usagi smile. It was only more evident now how much she wanted to meet Usagi's boyfriend, and she couldn't wait to show him off. "Oh, Mamo-chan's still coming; he just needed to run home and get something. As for this, I tried to save a stupid cat in the parking lot next to the Lawson's but it didn't seem to be happy about being helped…" she sniffled as she dried her red palm with a paper towel.

Ikuko tilted her head to the side and looked at Usagi with a sympathetic expression. "Aw, sweetie. No good deed ever goes unpunished, hm?"

She let out a soft huff in agreement. "No kidding. I'm going to get changed before Mamo-chan gets here."

Her mother nodded as Usagi passed her and began climbing up the stairs to her room. Ikuko called after her, "When do you think he'll get here?"

Usagi smiled just as she reached her room. "In a little less than an hour!" she responded, then closed the door with her aching hand.

The blonde girl sighed as she rifled through her clothes, trying to find something a little more on the mature side than her usual outfits, yet something that wouldn't startle her father with her boyfriend at the dinner table. This was supposed to be a happy time, but between the nervousness she suddenly felt over the meeting and the agonizing burn on her palm, she was in a less-than-delightful mood.

"Usagi, is it?" a voice behind her asked.

Usagi leapt out of her skin as she let out a surprised yelp and spun around, searching wildly for the source of the unknown voice. "Wh- who's there?!" she stuttered.

The voice sighed. "Down. Look down."

So she did.

"...GAH! The Bald Cat!" Usagi cried, shielding herself from her feline attacker with the clothes she'd been holding from her closet. "Back! Shoo!"

Luna gave her a confused look as Usagi backed up into the closet, pressing herself into the remaining clothing as if she could disappear into the pieces forever. The cat watched as the girl trembled with the sudden realization that the creature had just spoken to her.

Was this really the girl Luna had been looking for? She seemed a little dense… and not exactly brave enough to be the one to lead the Sailor Soldiers.

With a small cough, Luna broke the temporary silence between them. "I've been searching all over for you, Usagi. Those kids earlier got a hold of me after I thought I felt your energy, but they'd all but knocked me out before you came to save me. Thank you for that, by the way."

Usagi puffed out her cheeks. "Thank you? You sure had a funny way of showing your thanks earlier when you scratched me!" she whined, seeming to suddenly forget once again that she was talking to a cat as she held up her palm. "It still stings!"

"I'm so sorry about that," Luna said as her ears flattened against her head, "Like I said, they'd nearly knocked me unconscious and I still hadn't snapped out of it by the time you came closer to me. It wasn't until after you screamed and I ran that I realized you were the one I'd been looking for, or I would have given you the broach outside."

"The… broach?"

Luna smiled, and before Usagi realized what was happening she'd launched herself into the air and spun, making a small, pink, circular object land on the carpet. "This broach." Usagi's eyes lit up and she swiped the jewelry off the ground as the cat continued her explanation. "Usagi, my name is Luna, and this may come as a shock to you, but your destiny is to protect something very, very important…"

"This is so beautiful!" Usagi exclaimed, hugging the piece tightly to her chest.

"...yes, but it's the power it holds that makes it so special…"

"All the girls at school are going to be so jealous! Oh my goodness, and look how nice it looks on my bow..."

"Usagi…" Luna blatantly gaped for a moment as she studied the girl's behavior and complete lack of concern that she'd made a broach appear out of mid-air and was trying to tell her about her true destiny. Instead of freaking out, she was posing with the darn thing in her mirror! Clearing her throat, Luna decided to make another attempt. "Usagi, you are Sailor Moon, the lead guardian of the princess of the Moon Kingdom. That broach will allow you to transform and give you powers and abilities to fight against our enemies, find the princess, and keep her safe."

The blonde-bunned girl sighed dreamily and looked down at her, cupping her cheeks with her own hands. "Sounds romantic…" she sighed, and something about that made her jump. "Romantic… Mamo-chan! He'll be here any minute! Gotta change, gotta change…"

Luna sighed as she watched Usagi pick up the clothing she'd been looking at before and assess each garment again. Suddenly, the cat had an idea… "You want to change?" she asked smugly. If cats could smirk, she would have. "Shout 'Moon Prism Power, Make Up.' Just trust me… you'll be impressed."

Usagi raised an eyebrow as she looked down at her. "Moon Prism Power, Make Up?" she repeated, and suddenly a blinding white light flooded the room. Before it faded Luna heard the girl gasp, and the cat could barely contain her excitement.

"...See?"

"What is this?!" Sailor Moon cried, posing once again in the mirror but this time with her jaw dropped, eyes wide, and face as pale as milk.

"It's like I said," Luna said softly, glad the girl seemed to finally be paying attention now. "You're Sailor Moon."

"Like Sailor V?"

"Yes, if that helps you understand."

Completely speechless, Sailor Moon stared at herself in the mirror for a long while. Her eyes traveled from the red plates in her hair, to the white clips, to her tiara with the red jewel in the middle. She admired her sailor uniform with the broach sitting proudly on her large red bow. Crescent moons adorned the points of her matching red boots.

"...This is crazy," she said finally, and opened her mouth to say something else when they heard a knock on the front door, causing them both to pause.

Her mother called up from the foyer, "Usagi, Mamoru is here!"


	2. Chapter 2

"He's here!" Sailor Moon squealed in a wild panic. Her face, which had just been pale with shock, was now bright red. "Luna, how do I change back?!"

The cat stayed silent, letting the quiet moment between them linger to make sure the girl's panic really set in. This was just the opportunity she needed to set up a bribe; otherwise, the chances of Usagi embracing this transformation again was slim. "If I tell you how to revert back to your regular form, will you promise to let me train you as Sailor Moon later on tonight?"

"Yes, yes! Please, just tell me!"

"And you'll allow me to train you every day from now on?"

"...Fine!"

"Promise me. In the name of the moon."

Sailor Moon looked baffled. "In the name of the moon, I promise. Now come on, Luna!"

Again, the cat let the moment hang between them for a beat before speaking. "Grip the broach, hard, and imagine those same ribbons you saw changing your clothes changing you back into Usagi."

There wasn't a moment's hesitation before Sailor Moon wrapped her hand around her broach so tightly Luna thought it might shatter. Maybe, when her mind was set on something, this girl really did have potential…

In another flash and with the broach fashioned securly to her bow, Usagi appeared before the cat in her school uniform.

"Usagi!" Ikuko called from downstairs again.

She had no time to change. "Coming! I'm coming!" she replied, sounding a bit more flustered than Luna was sure she'd intended.

"Breathe, Usagi," the cat offered. "It will be fine. I'm sorry… I didn't know you were having company, or I wouldn't have pushed this on you right now."

"Yeah, well… thanks," Usagi replied flatly, and Luna winced. The manic tone the girl had just had now sounded shaky and anxious, like she was trying not to cry. Luna couldn't blame her for feeling overwhelmed, and was surprised at how guilty she felt for it.

Usagi flew down the stairs in her socked feet so quickly she thought she'd fall, but with a small squeak managed to catch herself three steps before the bottom. Too bad, she realized, since Mamoru had his arms outstretched and looked ready to catch her. Instead, the pair smiled warmly at each other. "Hi, Mamo-chan!" she greeted. Even though she was feeling confused, a little scared, and more nervous than any other time in her life, her boyfriend seemed to magically wash her fears away for a time.

"Hi, Usako. Nice house."

"And nice jacket!" she said with a smile, fisting the dark green fabric in her hands.

He let out a soft laugh and bowed his head. "Thanks." With his head lowered he leaned forward and pulled her into a hug, pressing his hands against her back and moving in to kiss her, but sprang away and practically threw her back up the stairs when Ikuko reemerged.

Mrs. Tsukino looked just as embarrassed as he did. "Er," she stammered, fiddling with her wavy hair as she tried to collect her thoughts. "Usagi! You said you wanted to help with dinner, right? Why don't you cut up a few vegetables and put them on a platter with some dip for your guest?"

Helping with meal prep suddenly didn't seem as appealing now that Mamoru was actually here, but she tried not to let her disappointment show. "Sure!" she forced, then blushed as Mamoru brushed his finger over the back of her hand in front of her mother.

"I'll help," he said, only to be met by a violent shake of Ikuko's head in protest.

"Absolutely not!" she said, obviously as a warning to Usagi not to accept the offer. "Mamoru, you are our guest, and guests of the Tsukino family do not lift a finger."

Usagi gave her mother a threatening glare, clearly embarrassed by the woman's outburst. "Mooom…" she murmured, and Mamoru let out a soft, somewhat uncomfortable chuckle as Ikuko recoiled.

"What if I just sit at the table and keep her company?" he asked the woman innocently, and both Tsukinos seemed to soften as if he'd said the most adorable thing possible. Usagi found the sudden blush in his cheeks adorable, anyway.

"I suppose that's allowed," Ikuko replied in a teasing manner, and Usagi bravely took Mamoru's hand in front of her and led him into the kitchen.

"Sorry about that," she said, and Mamoru shrugged.

"Why? Your mom's sweet. You two are really funny together; it's obvious she loves you."

The warmth in his eyes shot straight to her heart before realization set in. Mamoru didn't have a family to argue with, or help with dinner. He lived alone, and whenever they were together she could always see the appreciation in his eyes at having a companion. Usagi was lucky; not only did she have the cutest boyfriend around that made her swell with pride when other girls swooned, she also had a loving family, as annoying and overprotective as they could be sometimes.

As Mamoru eased into a bar stool at the small, high table in the kitchen, Usagi prepared to work. She had a lot of love to show him and her family, and perfectly-cut raw vegetables was how she was going to express it.

"I like that new… thing on your bow," Mamoru offered as she washed and dried her hands at the sink. The temporary forgetfulness she had about her experience that afternoon instantly faded and she blanched.

"O-oh, this?" she stammered, taking the accessory in her hands and tilting it up to look at it. The crescent moon decorating the bottom nearly made her pass out from the memory of her transformation.

Mamoru's left eyebrow raised. "Yes, Odango, that."

His nickname only caused her more internal panic, as he only called her 'dumpling' or 'dumpling head' when he was being defensive these days. She suppressed the urge to fidget and was now incredibly thankful for the vegetable cutting task to keep her from looking at him. "Thanks," she said in a small voice, and between her stammer, lack of eye contact, and weak response, knew she was spiraling in a vortex of incredibly suspicious behavior. The more she tried to hide that something was bothering her, the worse a job she was doing at it.

"Diiiid your other boyfriend give it to you, or something?" he teased. She knew he was kidding, but that was the absolute last thing she wanted him to think; that she might have another guy talking to her or that she was interested in. Well… maybe that was the second-to-last thing she wanted him to think. The absolute last thing was that she thought a talking black cat came to her and told her she had to protect some wacky princess from the moon. But she figured he'd never think of that explanation, and never, ever wanted Mamoru to question her unconditional love for him.

"Of course not," she replied with more conviction, and because all of her intended meanings seemed to be suddenly over exaggerated, knew it came out more upset than she'd intended it to be.

As she sawed through carrot sticks of varying lengths and thicknesses- so much for the perfect veggie platter- she felt Mamoru come up behind her and still the knife by placing his hand over her's.

Usagi felt goosebumps on her skin as she felt Mamo's breath on her ear. "What's wrong, Usako?" he asked, and the genuine concern in his voice staggered her. "Are you mad that I had to go home for my jacket?"

"What? Of course not," she said, and finally her voice sounded exactly like how she was feeling: surprised and taken aback. Dropping the knife onto the cutting board, she spun to face Mamoru and couldn't suppress her blush when they were face-to-face and he was pinning her against the counter. Jeez, he was warm… and he always smelled so good. This close, she needed to tilt her head all the way up to meet his eyes, but they were sparkling and the most beautiful blue…

"Something's bothering you though, Usako."

"It's nothing…" she lied.

"It's something, and it has to do with this," he said, and her breath hitched when she felt his fingers pressing against the crescent moon at her chest.

Petrified that he would somehow trigger something to make her transform again, she slid her back along the counter and away from him, putting several feet of distance between the couple. The concern in his eyes turned into annoyance.

"Seriously, did someone give that to you?"

"What? No." That was a lie. "Well, yes, but it isn't a…"

"Who, then?!"

Her mother couldn't have chosen a better time to return to the kitchen, and both of them immediately straightened. Mamo took his seat again as Usagi returned to her post at the vegetables.

Ikuko paused for a moment, seemingly assessing the situation, before choosing not to address the tension she'd just walked into. "So, how are the vegetables coming?" she asked, and Usagi practically felt her mother's disappointment at the carelessly-chopped carrots, peppers, and broccoli. "Coming along. Good," she said, then took a few steps to the stove. Usagi was relieved she didn't make any comments on the poor presentation, but knew then that her mother was trying to absolve the negative atmosphere in the room.

_No, no, no!_ This was not how she wanted her mother to meet Mamoru. What was running through the woman's mind? Did she think they argued all the time? If they did, it was always while teasing one another; it was very rarely anything real or serious. She needed to fix her mother's impression of her boyfriend, and fast, before her father got home. Though Mamoru's name meant 'to protect,' there was nothing that would protect him from the wrath of Kenji Tsukino.

"Mamo-chan," Usagi said cheerfully, turning to give her boyfriend a warm, hopeful smile. Please, please don't be mad… "I told my mom you like gyuudon, and she makes the best in the whole world."

She was grateful that he took the bait and also played cheerful now. "Oh yeah? I consider myself something of a beef bowl connoisseur…"

Ikuko floated over to the refrigerator to pull out and show the beef she'd selected for the meal. Even Usagi knew it was too good and expensive a cut for a meal considered to be something of a poor man's dish. It was almost like making spaghetti and meatballs with filet mignon.

Still, Mamoru must have deeply appreciated the special ingredient as his expression softened and made Usagi feel a million times lighter. "Something tells me it'll be the best gyuudon I've ever had. Thank you, Mrs. Tsukino. And thank you for having me over."

"Of course, Mamoru! Usagi is always talking about you… we feel like we know you so well already! You're welcome any time."

Usagi beamed at Mamoru and felt relieved when he smiled widely right back. "Thank you," he said to Ikuko while looking at her daughter, and the blonde wanted to kiss him then and there for being so amazingly perfect and forgiving.

Maybe she should tell him about what had happened with Luna and the broach… but even she didn't quite understand what being Sailor Moon meant yet. He would likely have a thousand questions she wouldn't be able to answer, and she'd sound even more suspicious- and nuts- if she answered "I don't know" or "I'm not sure yet" to every question she asked. The broach could turn her into Sailor Moon. She'd felt powerful in that uniform, like she really could protect people from evil as Luna had explained. It scared the hell out of her. Other than that, she knew nothing.

_I'll hold off telling him for now,_ she thought. _But once I know what all of this means, I'll tell him._ Hopefully it would all go well.


	3. Chapter 3

Dinner had been going about as well as Mamoru had expected it to go: awkwardly, with Kenji Tsukino barraging him.

The man was an animal, firing off question after question, keeping the younger man on his toes and trying not to get nailed by curveballs Usagi's father tried to throw.

"How old are you, Mamoru?" Kenji asked.

"Seventeen," he responded.

"And you know our little Usagi here is only fourteen?"

"...DAD!"

Usagi's younger brother, Shingo, also enjoyed getting in on the action. "He's got a point, Usagi. He's going to be going to college soon…"

Ah, the fuel to Kenji's fire. "Indeed. Much too old. And what college is that exactly, hm? What do you plan to study?"

"Uh…" Mamoru wasn't sure which question to answer first, but decided skipping the age jab was a wise move. "AIT? The Azabu Institute of Technology?" _Why do you sound like you're asking questions? Be confident!_ "I plan to study medicine. ...Sir."

That seemed to quell Mr. Tsukino, if only a bit. "Medicine, eh? That's a tough field, son." _Son! Making headway..._ "Do you have the grades to get into a program like that?"

"DAD!" Usagi shrieked.

Ikuko reflected her daughter's horror in her own expression. "Now now, Dear. Mamoru is an intelligent, kind young man. I'm sure he will excel at whatever he wants to do. Now how about we let the poor thing enjoy his meal in peace? You've barely allowed him to take a bite."

Ikuko's words seemed to resonate with Kenji and Mamoru was grateful to her for coming to his rescue. The gyuudon had smelled incredible, and the small nibble he'd been able to take so far was even better. Ikuko flashed Mamoru a knowing smile, then tilted her chin toward him as a sign that he would be able to keep eating now.

"...Right. Sorry," Kenji offered, then dipped his chopsticks into his own bowl and scooped a heaping pile of rice and marinated beef into his mouth. "Well done once again, my love," he said after swallowing, obviously trying to repent to his wife for his misbehavior.

That made Mamoru smile. "Yes, Mrs. Tsukino, this is excellent." He smiled across the table at his girlfriend, who blushed and looked down at her food as he continued. "Though I think the onions are really what makes this so tasty."

Usagi let out a small laugh and rubbed at her eyes, still a bit swollen from crying from when she'd cut the vegetables in question. "Mom sure chose the strongest ones," she said, and Mamoru laughed with her.

Ikuko smiled over at Kenji as they all joined in, and Usagi's father's expression finally softened. Mamoru took a few more bites before he spotted a black cat out of the corner of his eye. Usako never mentioned she had any pets…

"Oh, Luna!" Ikuko said, pushing away from the table and scurrying back into the kitchen. "I forgot to give you your dinner, too!"

Usagi looked horrified as the cat meowed in response, then lifted a front paw to begin licking at it.

Her face made Mamoru twitch with unease. "Usako?" he asked in a low voice so as not to distract from the conversation Kenji and Shingo were having.

Usagi jumped. "Wha? Huh? Ah, nothing." She forced a smile. "That cat… I found it outside not too long ago and I didn't know my parents even knew about her, let alone let her inside and… named her."

_What's with her tonight?_ She seemed to be jumpy about everything… "Luna, hm?" He tried to sound as calm and normal as possible, like he hadn't picked up on how anxious she was. This dinner must have been just as stressful for her as it was for him… "I like the name. It means moon, right? Because of the little bald spot on her? Really clever."

Usagi nodded as she kept that forced smile on her lips, then practically jumped out of her skin when Mamoru leaned over to pet the creature. "GAH!" she cried, causing Mamoru to jump and her father and brother to cease their conversation mid-sentence to stare at her. Mamoru's hand never made contact. Usagi let out an uneasy laugh before shaking her head. "We just found her on the street and haven't bathed her yet…" she said softly as she stirred the half-eaten beef dish around her bowl with her chopsticks. She never took a breath at a meal, let alone played with it. "Luna, pssst kitty kitty, go inside with Mama and get dinner!"

Mamoru watched the cat hesitate for a moment, as if contemplating Usagi's words, before deciding Usagi's suggestion was a good one and striding into the kitchen. "She's smart," he offered with a smile, trying to coax a genuine smile in response from her.

Again, he only got a forced one. "Yeah," she said with a weak laugh. "Especially for a stray."

The rest of the evening went without any more rapid fires of interview questions, though Kenji managed to sneak in a few more before they were done with dessert. Usagi had requested her mother make her "world-famous" German chocolate cake, and it did not disappoint. Each bite practically melted in Mamoru's mouth, making it the perfect ending to a successful meet-the-parents night at Usagi's.

Well, if you didn't count Usagi's strange behavior, anyway.

After Mamoru offered to help with the dishes for the third time and was once again passionately refused by Mrs. Tsukino, he thanked them for a lovely evening and Usagi walked him out. He couldn't help but notice she was more than a little enthusiastic to send him on his way, especially after she'd been so clingy earlier before they'd parted so he could get his jacket back at his apartment.

"Usako," he began after she'd practically pushed him out the front gate, "did I do something wrong? I thought that went pretty well, actually…"

"What?" she asked. It was the tenth time that evening she'd used that to stall as he watched her seemingly try to come up with a more reasonable response.

He sighed. Exhausted from the meeting with her parents, he didn't want to deal with this fake Usagi anymore. Not when it was just the two of them now, and she'd never been anything but truthful and natural every time they'd seen each other up until tonight. "If this is about the jacket…"

Usagi shook her head vehemently but kept her eyes peeled on her shoes.

"Or that I told your dad how old I am…"

Again, she shook her head. "He already knew."

He paused, hoping she'd finally offer up what was really bothering her. "Or that the onions made you cry?" Her strange behavior had started even before that, but he wanted to see that genuine Usako smile on her lips. He was alarmed when even that small joke didn't seem to break through to her and she remained stoic, still looking down at her feet like they held all the answers to every secret in the universe.

"Okay…" he said softly. "Well, whenever you feel like sharing, you let me know. Good night, Usagi."

He saw her head snap up and her eyes widen as he spun on his heels and turned away from her, walking off down the street and back toward the train station. Well, at least calling her Usagi instead of Usako seemed to prove she wasn't some weird, lifeless clone of his girlfriend. Still, she didn't chase after or call out for him, even as he was halfway down the block. He paused at the corner for just a moment, not even sure she was still standing outside her front gates but too annoyed with her now to look back himself. "Fine…" he grumbled under his breath, then turned down the road and further increased his distance from the Tsukino residence.


	4. Chapter 4

"Well I hope you're happy," Usagi said to Luna with a shaky voice as she entered her bedroom and closed the door behind them. Pressing her back against the door, her lip began to quiver uncontrollably and her eyes glistened with tears that would begin to fall at any moment.

Luna was anything but happy as she watched the girl try to keep her emotions in check. The cat had no idea what an important night this had been for her; only when dinner had started and Kenji began grilling Usagi's poor boyfriend did she realize this was the first time he'd been to their house. Luna didn't know a lot about such human customs, but she could sympathize with how nerve-wracking it must have been for the couple- and that was without having the added stress of a quick transformation into a Sailor Soldier beforehand with little explanation for anything.

A soft whimper filled the room and Usagi began sliding down the door after Luna's extended silence. The cat felt even worse and jumped from the bed as Usagi hugged her legs to her chest and buried her face in her knees, finally giving into the sobs that'd been brewing just below the surface.

"Usagi," Luna said gently, though she wasn't sure if the girl could hear her above her wailing. The violent shake of her shoulders as she cried looked like she might break herself apart if she rattled much more. "Usagi, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I shouldn't have forced you to transform before your boyfriend came over. Mamoru, is it?" She paused, hoping for Usagi to answer her, but she only continued to cry. With a sigh, Luna considered what else she could say and hopefully calm the blonde. "He's cute, your boyfriend. Very handsome."

At that, the sobs slowly subsided. A sniffle. "I know. He's the best." Sniffle.

One side of Luna's mouth quirked up into a half-smile. "Everything will be okay. Just tell him a- friend-," no one needed to know that friend was a cat, "told you some news before he came over and you were nervous about it. I'm sure he'll understand. He seems nice."

Usagi nodded, sitting up a bit to wipe the tears from her eyes. Another sniffle. "Luna, please… I need you to tell me more about what this all is so I can explain it to him."

Luna froze, unsure how to respond to that. "I wouldn't advise you tell him anything about Sailor Moon, Usagi. Not now." Not ever, but they would cross that bridge later.

"But why?"

The confused, mystified look in Usagi's puffy eyes gave her pause. "...Because you can't trust anyone with knowing that identity. Anyone could be the enemy, Usagi." She saw Usagi open her mouth to protest, but quickly continued, "I'm sure Mamoru is not the enemy, but telling loved ones you know are safe isn't a good idea, either. They might not be a threat, but if the Dark Kingdom finds out who Sailor Moon is close to, they may torture the information out of those people. The less Mamoru, your parents, everyone knows, the better."

Usagi gave a small nod and Luna was relieved that her reasoning seemed to click with her. "Just… what type of people are in this... Dark Kingdom?" she asked with trepidation.

Luna realized that she was doing nothing to ease this innocent girl into her new destiny. She needed to make this sound more fun, less dangerous… ease this girl into the role as her powers awakened.

"Bad people, but nothing you can't handle. Why don't you transform and I'll show you what you can do?"

* * *

"So I just take the tiara off and throw it?" Sailor Moon asked with more than a hint of skepticism.

Luna was baffled that she would still find the idea of a tiara becoming a discus strange after everything else the cat had already unloaded on her. Still, she had to admit that Sailor Moon's first training session was going better than she'd hoped. "That's correct," she advised, "and as you throw it, yell 'Moon Tiara Action!'"

Sailor Moon took the tiara between her fingers and lifted it away from her forehead. "Picture it becoming a disc," Luna advised, and couldn't suppress her smile as she watched the golden accessory begin to spin, slowly at first, then gradually pick up speed and hover over her open hand. "That's it!" Luna encouraged. "Now!"

"Moon Tiara… ACTION!" Sailor Moon cried, then flung the sparkling white disc like a frisbee toward the far wall of the old warehouse they were in. It illuminated everything in its path as it sailed through the air, then returned to her as if it were a boomerang. The spinning slowed until they saw the form of the tiara again, then stopped, and fell back into the blonde girl's hand. "Whoa…" she gasped, then slipped it back onto her forehead. A wide smile grew across her lips and she squealed with delight. "That was so cool!"

Luna was glad Sailor Moon was finding some fun in learning her abilities, but needed to keep her sharp. Just as she opened her mouth to give a gentle lecture, however, the blonde jumped up and down and clapped her hands excitedly, asking "What next, Luna?"

The next hour or so was devoted to the accuracy of her tiara attack, hand-to-hand combat techniques and evasive maneuvers- Sailor Moon didn't seem to find as much fun in those- and talk about the Dark Kingdom and danger to the princess.

'Maybe this girl isn't as hopeless as I first thought...' Luna thought to herself as Sailor Moon tried her tiara attack once again. It was a bit of a harsh first opinion, but Usagi's naive, carefree and clumsy nature had made her nervous. Sure, Sailor Moon was still very rough around the edges, but there was the potential for a real Solider inside that unpracticed soul just waiting to be nurtured.

As if the universe heard the cat's thoughts, Sailor Moon's first test presented itself.

"Luna?!" Sailor Moon asked with alarm as the red jewels adorning the buns in her hair began to flash and emit a low pulsing sound. The cat went rigid, eyes going wide.

"It's the enemy, Sailor Moon. Ready to put all that practice to good use?"

Tears immediately began to well up in her eyes. It was all fun and games when there was no real danger, but they didn't even know what they were up against yet and Sailor Moon was already on the verge of a breakdown.

Luna's jaw suddenly ached from clenching it so hard. "Everything will be fine. This is what you were born to do, Sailor Moon. You're ready, I could see that. Now follow me!"

* * *

Luna quickly found that Sailor Moon was anything but ready.

"AHHHHH!" the blonde-haired girl cried, acting as if their previous training session never happened and she'd never practiced a dodge in her life. Instead, she was falling over herself, sprinting from this corner to that as a youma- a small, rather feeble-looking one- rolled after her.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!" Luna yelled as the girl tripped past her, nearly falling to her knees but catching herself just before she went tumbling.

"I can't do this!" she responded, and even from across the room Luna saw fat tears begin to spill from the most upset and overwhelmed face she'd ever seen.

Cat and monster alike nearly died from the shock of the ear-piercing wail that came from Sailor Moon then, stopping the creature in its tracks and desperately trying to cover its ears with its small hands while the girl carried on. "I can't do this," she whined before releasing another deafening cry.

There was no shouting over it. No insisting, once again, that Sailor Moon use her tiara attack, or even to retreat. Luna and the enemy creature were so paralyzed from the sound of that cry that Luna thought she might stay frozen like that forever.

From the corner of her eye, however, Luna watched as a small red object sailed through the air and landed on the ground beside Sailor Moon. She was on the floor and pressed against the wall now, and whatever the object was finally broke through the girl's cries. The thing- a rose?- sticking up from the ground seemed to startle the girl into silence, and both Luna and the youma could feel their muscles begin to loosen.

As soon as she had control of her neck, Luna searched along with Sailor Moon for the source of the object as the youma continued to recover. When the source revealed itself from the shadows, Luna heard Sailor Moon draw in a quick gasp.

"You'll never defeat this monster if you just keep it paralyzed!" the source advised; a tall man in a tuxedo and a top hat with his face hidden behind a bright white mask. There was something about his voice, deep and melodic, that made even Luna swoon.

The cat was quick to snap out of her mesmerized gaze, however. "He's right, Sailor Moon!" she urged, "Please, use your tiara!"

Luna could have kissed the tuxedo-donned stranger as her instructions finally got through to the soldier. Just as they'd practiced, Sailor Moon removed her tiara from her forehead again, transformed it into a discus, and sent it spiraling toward the charging youma.

"Moon Tiara Action!" she cried desperately, and the spinning light buried itself inside the chest of the creature. Though it screamed, it was nowhere near as painful as Sailor Moon's distressed bellowing.

Luna breathed a sigh of relief as the youma seemed to disintegrate before their eyes, leaving nothing but echoes from its screaming before it disappeared. Finally, there was silence.

The tiara didn't make it back to Sailor Moon's hand before the spiraling slowed and it transformed back into the golden, jewel-adorned accessory, hitting the ground with a loud clang and bouncing across the cement before landing a few feet from the trembling Sailor Soldier. Sailor Moon's ragged breathing and the soft steps of the tuxedoed man as he approached the tiara were all that could be heard.

"Don't touch it!" Luna tried to warn as she jumped to get between the man and the magic weapon, but he picked it up before she could reach him.

The man seemed to be alarmed at the cat speaking, but didn't address it. "It's okay," he said gently, dusting the piece off on his black jacket before kneeling before Sailor Moon and extending it out to her.

Sailor Moon recoiled, pressing herself even harder up against the wall as the man drew closer. "Wh-wh-who... are you…?" she stammered, and Luna could tell it was all she could do not to cry again.

"My name is Tuxedo Mask," the man offered, lifting the hand with the tiara again to urge her to take it. She did, and Luna noticed the two lingered near each other's hands for a beat longer than necessary.

Luna cleared her throat. "Sailor Moon, let's get you back home."

"Yes, Sailor Moon," Tuxedo Mask agreed kindly, extending his now-free hand out to her. "Are you alright?"

A tentative, yet curious hand accepted Tuxedo Mask's as Sailor Moon nodded. "I'm… fine. I'm fine. Thank you for helping me." Her eyes never left his through his white mask as he pulled them both to their feet.

"Of course. I couldn't leave a crying girl in distress," he said with a smile, and the fur on Luna's back stood on end.

"Sailor Moon, we really have to go," the cat insisted, jumping up on her shoulder so Sailor Moon would jump and take her hand out of the masked stranger's. The man seemed to take the hint and took a few steps back to create distance.

"You did well fighting that monster today, Sailor Moon," he said. "I hope to see and fight beside you again soon."

With a whoosh of his cape, Tuxedo Mask spun on his heels and leapt into the air, aiming for an open window more than a story up from where they stood. Sailor Moon gasped as he landed on the sill, then leapt once again out into the night.

Luna watched in silence as Sailor Moon held a clenched fist over her heart, eyes fixed on the sill where the masked man had just stood.

"Easy now, Sailor Moon," she warned, unable to suppress the irrational rage she felt as Sailor Moon gazed up at the window like a lovesick puppy. "You have Mamoru, remember?"


	5. Chapter 5

Mamoru woke up the next morning feeling like he got hit by a bus. Had last night's dinner at the Tsukino residence taken *that* much of a toll on him?

He groaned as he sat up and cradled his head in his hands. He'd been more wiped from the day before than he thought. Memories of the evening flooded his mind, threatening to discourage him from getting out of bed and going back to sleep instead.

Sleep. "I had some crazy dreams last night…" he murmured to himself, suddenly remembering pieces here and there of some adventure he'd gone on. A black suit. No, wait… a tuxedo? An adrenaline rush as he ran somewhere entirely on instinct. Saving a pretty girl…

Mamoru shook his head. Was he that upset about Usagi that he was already thinking of sweeping other women off their feet?

With a heavy sigh Mamoru swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, stretched toward the ceiling as he craned his neck all the way back, then rolled his head to loosen his neck. He still felt tired and his muscles were strangely sore, but he attributed all of that to the rough evening he'd had. In fact, he was surprised he'd gotten to sleep at all… though he couldn't quite remember falling asleep in the first place.

He pondered this as he stood in the shower, staring blankly at the tiles ahead of him as hot water cascaded down his shoulders. He considered punching those tiles in frustration, but caught himself. Luckily his logical thought was still intact and he realized that would only result in broken fingers and more pain. Instead, those tiles became something like a projector screen as he relived the angry goodbye with Usagi from the night before. She'd been jittery since he'd arrived at the house, but figured she was as nervous as he was to meet Ikuko and Kenji.

But as he'd grown more comfortable in the house, her anxiety hadn't let up. In fact, as the night drew on, her nervousness only seemed to have gotten worse. Echoes of her saying "Huh?" and "What?" as he snapped her out of her own thoughts or she stalled for answers infuriated him. Had he done something wrong?!

For the thousandth time he replayed every scene with her parents in his mind. How he responded to this question, or told that story, or when Kenji looked at him how he'd smiled back or nodded… even down to talking to Shingo about the comic books he liked to read and what he may have said wrong there. But no matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn't think of anything he'd done that would have upset Usagi or her family.

"Because there wasn't anything for her to get upset about…" he told himself. The night had been damn-near perfect.

So what was it, then? That new broach she'd had… had she met someone else? A classmate, maybe. Possessiveness overtook him then, and as he leaned his forehead against the wall he found himself growling. He didn't want to lose her. He would fight for her, of course, but in the end if she chose to be with that other person over him, what could he do? His heart ached at the thought.

"Usako… what is it you're not telling me?"

Usagi considered calling Mamoru early that morning, but she didn't know what to say.

Much to her mother's surprise the girl was up and making breakfast for herself at seven o'clock on a Saturday morning. She hadn't slept well the night before, even after all of the energy she'd expelled and the excitement from the night before.

Unfortunately for Usagi, it wasn't entirely the incident with Mamoru that kept her up, nor was it the frightening monster she'd fought as Sailor Moon...

No. Each time Tuxedo Mask flashed on the backs of her closed eyelids they'd flown open, fueled by a surge of adrenaline through her heart that felt like sweet agony.

By the time the sun had started to come up she was sick of the feeling. It was very similar to the anxious feeling she'd get before she told her mom she'd flunked another English test, yet this was far worse on her conscience. She would have rather failed a thousand tests and told her mother about all of them than to feel like this when thinking about someone other than Mamoru.

Sure, she'd felt like this when thinking about Mamoru, too… especially when they'd first met and started dating. Since then the butterflies had subsided some but her love for him hadn't wavered. If anything, it'd only gotten stronger with each day.

'Well, almost each day...' she thought, then violently shook her head as if expelling the thought from her mind. Yes, she loved him more each and every day. Even though her stomach felt funny when thinking about this new Tuxedo Mask guy, she still loved Mamoru now more than ever. And she had a lot of making up to him to do.

She watched Luna with dismay as her mother, really brainwashed into thinking they owned the cat, poured food from a can into a small bowl and extended it to her, making cooing noises and scratching under her chin. Luna purred loudly, and it was all Usagi could do not to turn around and scream at Luna to cut the innocent kitty act and speak with real words to her mother. But the cat, as she'd done yesterday, would simply sit there and act all innocent while all the people Usagi loved would look at her like she had a thousand crazy little heads.

"Last night was so nice," Ikuko said with a warm smile as she stopped petting Luna and stood.

Usagi didn't look up from the egg she was slowly moving around a frying pan. "Mhmm."

"Mamoru is a very handsome and very sweet young man," her mother continued, and Usagi nodded. "Please tell him he's welcome back for gyuudon anytime he wants."

Usagi knew Ikuko must have sensed something was wrong- the blonde was a terrible actress- but she was incredibly grateful that the woman didn't pry. Instead, she left the conversation at that and strode out of the kitchen, leaving Usagi alone with her frying egg, half a glass of orange juice, and Luna.

"You didn't sleep very well last night," Luna said in a low voice so no one else in the house would hear, and Usagi cringed.

"Tell me something I don't know," she grumbled, trying to flip the egg over in the pan without breaking the yolk but sighed as she watched the yellow substance spill onto the pan and begin to solidify.

Luna licked her paw. "We have training later," she offered. "Tonight, and I'd like it to be at your school."

"What?! What if someone sees?!"

"No one will be at the school on a Saturday night. They have some equipment in the gym that I would like you to use."

Usagi grimaced. "I hate this, Luna. I don't want to be Sailor Moon. It's messing up too much, okay?! I quit. Go find some other girl to do this."

Luna brushed Usagi's leg. "No one else can be Sailor Moon, Usagi. This is your destiny…"

"Enough with the destiny!" Usagi cried. She closed her eyes, knowing she'd shouted too loudly.

"Usagi?" It was her father, calling from the top of the stairs.

"Are you okay?" Followed Ikuko's voice, and Usagi grit her teeth as she heard her coming back down toward the kitchen.

"I'm fine!" she spat, scooping her egg onto a plate and pushing it against the back wall of the counter. To avoid her mother she abandoned it, exiting out of the opposite door her mother was entering and sliding on her shoes.

"Where are you going?" Ikuko asked.

"Out," Usagi said sharply. She knew her foul mood wasn't her mother's fault but was too angry to put on a happy face.

Ikuko studied her for a moment before placing a hand on her hip. "In your pajamas?"

Usagi looked down at herself. She was, indeed, wearing pajamas… but her shoes were already on and she just wanted to get out of her house and away from Luna for a while. "Yep," she said, raising her chin in defiance as she let herself out before her mother could protest.

Just before Usagi opened the front gate to walk down the road, she grunted and stopped short when she heard Luna.

"You know…" came the voice by her shin, "you don't have to go out in your PJs if you don't want to."

"I want to," Usagi lied, and Luna put a clawed paw on the girl's ankle before she could walk off.

"Listen to me, Usagi! I don't want this all to be such a struggle for you. I want us to be friends, and I want to teach you to embrace your destiny. Yes! I know you hate that word now, but only because you don't understand it. Please. Let's start over, okay? You try this Sailor Moon thing again, I will be more considerate of your time with your family and boyfriend, and I'll show you just how incredibly amazing you can be."

Usagi chewed the inside of her lip for a moment. "...Fine. I'll give it one more shot. But Luna, if this doesn't work out…"

"It will. I promise it will. And as a show of good faith I want to give you a present." She jumped, flipping into the air, and a pen landed on the ground. As Usagi picked it up, Luna explained further. "This is a disguise pen. With it, you can change into whomever, or whatever you want. Just say, 'Moon Power! Change me into,' and then whatever you want to change into. Go on, try it and get out of those pajamas before you walk down the street!"

Usagi pondered for a moment, excited by this fun perk. Not only could she change into a super heroine, which still took some getting used to, but she could also change into anything else she wanted? "Moon Power!" Her skin tingled as the pen began to glow. "Change me to look like a high school student!" In a flash of light similar to when she transformed into Sailor Moon, Usagi turned to look at herself in the reflection of the glass door of her house. She was no longer in her middle school uniform, and even felt more mature than she'd had just moments ago. "Wow!" she exclaimed excitedly, and saw Luna beam up at her.

"See? Being able to harness the power of the moon isn't so bad after all, is it?" Luna asked.

Usagi smiled. "We'll see about that," she said, and took off down the street with Luna in tow.

"Where are we going?" Luna asked.

"*I'm* going to go find Mamo-chan," Usagi replied, running toward the first place she thought to look: Crown Arcade.


	6. Chapter 6

Okay, so maybe all this moon power stuff had its perks.

Even though Usagi was still running at a full sprint down the road toward Crown Arcade, she felt… *different* as a high school student; more mature, and even steadier on her feet. The transformation pen had chosen the uniform of Juuban Municipal High School- the school she would likely be attending in the future anyway- and if she felt as calm and level-headed then as she did now, she couldn't wait to grow up.

'Okay, Usagi,' she thought to herself. 'The way things ended with Mamo-chan last night was very… suspect. You need to be clear, yet not reveal anything about being Sailor Moon. As much as you want to and as much as that would make things easier, you can't… Luna was very clear when she said that could put him in danger.' He would just think she was a loon, anyway. Despite meeting the talking cat, transforming and being in an actual battle herself, and now changing herself with that pen, she still couldn't believe it all herself.

She wouldn't even *begin* to think about her reaction to Tuxedo Mask right now.

Usagi was winded by the time she reached Crown Arcade. Sure, she didn't slam into anyone or fall over herself on the street, but her more adult lungs were no better than her middle school ones. As she took a few deep breaths to normalize her breathing and fixed her hair outside, she was relieved to see Mamoru through the sliding glass door. She wasn't sure her little lungs could take her anywhere else to look for him.

With one more steadying breath Usagi took another step forward and the hiss of the doors opening announced her arrival. Mamoru, sitting at the back counter, turned as their friend Motoki looked up from the cash register. She didn't need to be of more mature mind to note that Motoki wasn't as happy as usual to see her; Mamoru must have said something to him about what was going on.

'But that's fine!' Usagi thought as she approached them, smiling as she looked at both men. It was understandable he'd want to talk to someone else about last night. It just killed her that it couldn't have been her, since she was the cause of it all.

She realized half of Motoki's reaction to her entering the arcade was confusion at her outfit, since Mamoru's eyes went to her feet and scanned upward until he reached her eyes. "Um, hey, Usagi…" he said, and she noted he still wasn't calling her Usako. His voice was a mix of relief, apprehension, and utter confusion. He let out a small laugh and smiled, melting her heart right there on the spot. "I know you didn't jump a grade and a half and graduate early… let alone be heading to school on a Saturday." He and Motoki shared an amused smile before Mamoru stood, then closed the distance between them in a couple of strides. "So what gives?"

Well… crap. She probably should have thought of all of this and told the pen to transform her into normal street clothes. 'Would any of my moon powers be able to reverse time?' She made a mental note to ask Luna later. "I um… Ami dragged me to an orientation thing at the high school this morning." It was a good excuse and Usagi was proud of herself for coming up with it on the fly. She and Ami weren't close at all- Ami wasn't close to anyone, really- but Mamoru had heard her complaining about the blue-haired girl frequently after tests. "She's trying to decide now which school she'll be going to. They were so enamored with her- because what school wouldn't, right?- and gave us both uniforms. Aren't they so cute?" She twirled, making the dark blue skirt fan, and he laughed again.

"Yes, it's very nice, and you look great in it. You didn't tell me you were doing that this morning! I'm glad you were there to help out a friend and I hope she inspired you to study a little harder, hm?" Now it was Usagi's turn to smile. He was always pushing her to get better grades and instill more confidence in herself, and this conversation felt so normal. Her middle school self would have used this moment to pretend everything was fine, but her high school self knew that this would only be temporary until last night was explained.

"Can we… talk?" she asked, sliding her hand into his and looking up at him. She shook her head at his horrified expression. "It's not bad! I just want to talk about why I was so weird last night…"

Mamoru looked around, briefly meeting Motoki's gaze at the counter before locking in on a corner by the stairwell. "Sure," he said, letting go of her hand to put a protective arm around her instead.

As they made their way to the corner, Mamoru's scent of roses and sandalwood flooded her nostrils. She inhaled deeply, channeling the comforting smells to give her the confidence to have this conversation. She couldn't tell by the way Mamoru gripped her shoulder that he was apprehensive of what she was about to say.

The corner was dark, lit only by a green exit sign above them, and in a small offshoot from the main room that did a good job muffling the beeps, bloops and shouts from the arcade games and patrons. Mamoru turned her to face him, now placing both hands on her shoulders and looking into her eyes. God, she could fall into those sky-blue eyes of his. Even in the dark they were mesmerizing…

She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could get out any words Mamoru had pulled her into a tight hug. She was quick to return it, slipping her arms under his and bracing her forearms on his back, pressing him against her. Even after her suspicious behavior last night, he was holding her like this. Her heart exploded while the backs of her eyes stung with the threat of tears.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, but she wondered if he could hear it with the background noise and her voice muffled by his chest. He pulled back and she wanted to whimper in protest, but took in a stilted breath instead.

"I'm sorry, too," he replied. At her confused expression, he continued, "I don't know what I said or did that made you suddenly so uncomfortable last night, but I'm sorry I said or did it. Just tell me what it was so I know not to do it again. I'll write a note to your parents, or speak to them in person, whatever you need." She went to protest, but his hands on her shoulders tightened and he said, "I've been replaying last night over and over in my head. One minute you were fine, and the next you weren't. I could tell you were nervous when I first got there, but it got worse… was it something to do with that cat?" She remembered how she'd jumped when he went to pet Luna. Leave it to her Mamo-chan to pick up on things like that… "I will never pet another cat again if it upsets you so much. Or if it was something else, just tell me. I swear to you, I'll fix it." He looked her over again. "You look adorable in that uniform, and I want to do everything I can to continue dating you well after you've begun wearing it for real."

She laughed and looked down at their shoes. "You're sweet, Mamo-chan." She was grateful for her high school disguise, because she would have been bawling without it. As it was that sting behind her eyes had intensified and there was a glaze of tears blurring her vision now. What did she do to deserve this guy? "This is going to sound so dumb," she looked up at him, knowing he would tell her to meet his gaze soon anyway, "but yes, it's about the cat. She just came to the house right before you did yesterday, which is why I was so rattled. She's a nasty little thing, and even scratched me, see?" She held up her palm. "And you know how animals kind of know when you don't like them and make it a point to try and get your attention all the time? There was a lot of that happening. I just felt so stupid about it, but with the stress of you meeting my parents and everything else going on I didn't know how to explain." She raised her hands to rest them gently on his chest. "You were amazing last night, Mamo-chan. My parents love you. Shingo wants to know when you're coming over again so you two can play games together. I was being an idiot, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin the night."

Mamoru listened intently to every word Usagi said. As she spoke, one of his hands trailed from her shoulder, down her arm, and held the wrist of the hand Luna had scratched. When she was done, he gently lifted the hand off his chest and kissed the cuts. Usagi felt her knees go weak. "So I was up all night… because of a cat?" He smirked. "Well now I don't like that thing, either. I'm glad that's all it was, Usako. Thank you for telling me the truth." Relief washed over her at the return of the pet name. He tugged playfully at the bow on her uniform. "I like the confidence this uniform seems to give you. You should probably wear this the next time I'm over for dinner… maybe you won't be so afraid of cats." She crinkled her nose and he laughed as he swung an arm over her shoulder. "Come on… now let me beat you in a few games."

Usagi laughed and playfully swatted him. "You're on. Thanks, Mamo-chan." She didn't know what she did to deserve him, but if being Sailor Moon meant keeping him safe, she would battle until the end.


	7. Chapter 7

"I'm so sorry, Usako," Mamoru said, clutching his head in one hand as he and Usagi exited Crown Arcade together.

Usagi vehemently shook her head. "Please, Mamo-chan, I just want to make sure you're okay…"

Even with his hand to his forehead he gave a confident smile and nod. "It's just a migraine. I get them every once in awhile. It must have been all the flashing lights of that game."

They usually played Sailor V together, but anything Sailor-related was the last thing Usagi had wanted to partake in that morning. Instead, she'd opted for a friendly Sonic the Hedgehog challenge; a game Mamoru was familiar with, but had never played. It had no more blinking lights than the Sailor V game did, but she had to cut him some slack after everything she'd put him through.

"I think it's more because you didn't sleep very well last night."

He gave a defeated laugh. "I was trying not to bring it up."

Usagi smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "I thought that was a better excuse than me smoking you at getting those Chaos Emeralds." Seven crystals, all a different color of the rainbow. She'd gotten four, he'd gotten two, and he had to concentrate more and more after each round to keep up. Before the seventh round had even finished loading he'd launched himself away from the arcade cabinet and cradled his head in his hands, groaning in a way she'd never heard before.

He shuddered as if replaying the same memory. "I think I'd rather talk about last night again, to be honest. Something about that game really triggered this headache."

Usagi frowned. "Please let me take you home."

Mamoru shook his head. "I'll be fine, Usako. I promise. I'll call you later… I think I just need some sleep." He kissed her sweetly on the lips, gave her another small smile, then turned to walk down the street. When he reached the subway station he turned around, smiled when he saw she was still watching him, and waved before descending the stairs.

Usagi nearly jumped out of her shoes when she felt a sudden weight on her shoulder and fur brush her face, yet somehow stifled it. This high school uniform disguise really worked wonders! "It looks like you two are better now," Luna proudly murmured into her ear.

Usagi rolled her eyes. "We wouldn't have not been good if you didn't come along."

Luna hesitated, mumbling the weirdly-worded phrase a couple of times before finally understanding. "Yes, well, you'll learn to balance these lives. Was Mamoru confused by your high school uniform? I guess it was better than your original pajama plan."

Usagi grunted as she began heading home. Had Luna thought of how odd the disguise choice had been before letting her out of the house? She still couldn't quite trust this cat… "I told him my friend Ami and I went to a high school orientation." But, wait… Ami and Mamoru knew each other! What if he asked her about it?! Usagi froze in place, eyes wide. "Oh NO! Ami… I have to find Ami!"

* * *

"This isn't a high school though, Usagi…" Ami said with trepidation as the two girls approached a large building a few buildings down from Crown Arcade. Usagi sighed. Had she only known she would wind back up here this afternoon, she never would have run around the Azabu district barreling people over in search of this blue-haired genius girl. "It's just a cram school for students IN high school."

Usagi nodded enthusiastically as she looked at the fourth-floor sign: CRYSTAL SEMINAR: HOME OF THE REVOLUTIONARY CRYSTAL DISK STUDY METHOD.

Usagi put her hand behind her head and laughed nervously. "Let's be honest, Ami; this is the only taste of high school I'll ever get for the next couple of years! So I consider it a high school… Mamo-chan will be really happy you let me come with you for one of the sessions. Thank you for bringing me here. Next time you see him, tell him how happy I was to see it, okay?"

Ami looked down and smiled at the sidewalk. "Mamoru, huh? I will." She put her hand to her lips and let out a soft laugh as the glass doors hissed apart and let them inside. "All of this for him? It must be nice to be in love like that…" She caught herself as they stepped into the elevator and coughed. "But you really should be focusing on your entrance exams and not just on impressing him, you know. If you like the class today, you should consider enrolling!"

Usagi curled her lips in and smiled, puffing her cheeks out a bit. "I'll consider it for sure!" *My lies just keep building and building… I'm not going to be able to keep this up for much longer.*

As the elevator slid open again, Ami reached into her purse and extracted a small circular disk. "I already finished this one, so you can erase what's on it and start over," she said with a smile.

Usagi took the disk and nearly ran back into the elevator before it closed behind them. "What's 'calculus?'"

* * *

It took fifteen minutes for Usagi to figure out how to clear the disk, let alone begin the first chapter.

While Ami, glasses on and lips set in a thin, focused line, typed furiously beside her, Usagi took one look at the first line and felt her eye twitch.

"The fundamental theorem of calculus," she murmured to herself. "The concept of the derivative of a function with the concept of the function's integral." What the heck did she sign herself up for? This was what high school would be like? Even with her uniform still on she couldn't begin to comprehend the string of words on the screen before her. *Maybe I'll need to make this Sailor Moon thing work after all…* she thought, horrified at the brain power this would take and her extreme lack of it. Being a superhero sounded much better than sitting in class after class of the 'fundamental theory of such-and-such.' She craned her head to peer over her monitor at the students before her, typing away almost as furiously as Ami to her left. She could barely make out a number in an equation on screen before they successfully answered the slide and moved onto another. The students behind her were just as engrossed.

"Hey, Ami…" Usagi whispered, leaning over to find Ami's slides were changing faster than any of them. "Do we get a break for snack, or…?" But Ami was too absorbed in her own work to answer her. "No problem; I'll just ask a teacher," she said, but no one was around to ask. *Is this all these people pay for? A confusing disk to use on a computer?* She saw the prices on a flyer she was given upon entry, and nearly cried out in shock when she saw the weekly rate.

Even Luna noticed how little the students were paying attention and she popped her head out of Usagi's bag on the desk beside her. "Usagi… there's something very wrong here," she said out loud, yet no one gave them a second glance.

Usagi's eyes widened, yet she somehow wasn't surprised by Luna's revelation. "The enemy…?"

Luna nodded. "The Dark Kingdom. I think they're sucking the energy of these students dry!"

"What!" Usagi cried, jumping to her feet. She quickly grabbed Ami's shoulders and shook. "Hey, snap out of it! Ami! Can you hear me?!" But Ami kept typing. "Luna, should I transform?!"

The happy smile Luna gave her made her realize what she'd said. "Please, Usagi."

"Moon Prism Po-"

Usagi screamed as a large, root-like hand exploded from every screen in the room and grabbed the throat of each student, including Ami's. She watched as the hand at her screen blindly grabbed at the air, nearly catching Luna by the tail until the cat jumped out of the way.

"MOON PRISM POWER, MAKE UP!"

There was something about this form that she was anxious to get to. Sailor Moon held a power she'd never felt before, and with the sight of a dozen hands reaching through screens and gripping students, she needed all the power she could get.

Yet… hers wasn't the only power she felt this time. When she looked at Ami, Luna jumped up onto the desk beside her.

"That confirms it!" Luna said. "Quick, Sailor Moon. Cut her free!"

With a quick "Moon Tiara Action!", Sailor Moon cut through Ami and five other students' roots. The screams of the monsters behind the glass sent a chill up her spine, and she watched in horror as the rest of the monsters climbed into the room while the freed students fell forward.

"Luna!" Sailor Moon cried, but when she looked to the cat for guidance, found she was whispering something to Ami and sliding a blue pen her way.

"NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR HOMEWORK!" Sailor Moon cried, jumping back as the monster from her screen, with both arms still attached, lunged toward her.

"You're going to need help for this one, Sailor Moon!" Luna replied. Again, that cat smile and smug tone.

"Mercury Power, Make Up!"

The room was engulfed in a blinding light that temporarily stunned the monsters and made Sailor Moon's jaw drop. "You mean…?"

"Ami! You are Sailor Mercury. I will explain everything soon, but for now, you need to trust me. Can you do that? I need you to shout…"

"Shabon… Spray!" Sailor Mercury cried, and before the monsters could fully recover from the light, found themselves engulfed in cold fog.

Luna laughed. "She really is a quick study! You have a lot to learn from your friend here, Sailor Moon."

"Ami is… Ami's like me?!" Sailor Moon said in disbelief. An overwhelming sensation of camaraderie flooded her. *So I'm not alone in this?*

"YES, Sailor Moon, but now is not the time! Your attack, again!" Luna commanded.

Sailor Moon could only make out the shadows of the students and monsters in the glowing screens amid Sailor Mercury's fog. One bad throw of her tiara and she could seriously hurt one of these students; likely a friend of Ami's. Yet, just knowing Sailor Moon wasn't going to bear all the weight of this destiny thing alone gave her the strength to ready her attack again. "Moon Tiara… ACTION!" she shouted, launching her tiara into the air again while picturing the arms and torsos of the frightening computer beasts. She landed every single one that time, watching as the yellow glow of her tiara discus pierced through and incinerated the monsters. The fog died along with the screams of the vanquished enemies, leaving semi-conscious, groaning students in their wake.

"What happened…?" one student asked, but before Mercury could answer, Sailor Moon grabbed her arm and led her toward the door.

"They will be fine; we'll make sure of it," Sailor Moon said, opting for the stairwell over waiting for the elevator. "But we can't let anyone see us like this… especially if you know those people from that class."

Usagi explained how to revert Ami's transformation on the way down to the ground floor of the cram school. By the time they exited, they were back to normal middle school girls and told a nearby policeman they smelled gas in the Crystal Seminar building. Again, another lie… they would have to get used to that, wouldn't they? But at least there was a 'they' now; not just Usagi and her crazy talking cat. She had an ally, and she could think of no better friend to fight alongside than the super-genius Ami.

*Well… maybe Mamoru,* she thought with a smile.

"Come on, Ami… let's head to the arcade," Usagi suggested, pointing to the building a few feet away. "We have so much to talk about."

"Sure, Usagi," Ami said, still looking a bit bewildered over the whole transformation thing. Usagi couldn't blame her. "But… why are you wearing pajamas?"


End file.
